Fire on dive boat Conception in CA

[rjack321]

That video illustrates how close they were to shore. Does anyone know if that shoreline is accessible? It looks awfully steep and rocky in the video.

The shoreline of Santa Cruz is basically not accessible except by boat (outside of a few specific harbors). Its also part of Channel Island National Park.

 

[xmass-Eve]

Is there an exit from the main living cabin out to the front of the boat? Because, when there is a fire in the living cabin and you can escape from the bunks, how will you escape the cabin? The walkway to freedom seems very long...

 

[HKGuns]

The shoreline of Santa Cruz is basically not accessible except by boat (outside of a few specific harbors). Its also part of Channel Island National Park.

So there is little chance anyone made it "to the beach" and are awaiting rescue, dang. Thanks, I feared as much when I saw the steep rocks.

 

[tarponchik]

No. Not if they were following regulations. They were allowed to store gasoline in the dinghy (which did not catch fire) and have an additional supply on the open deck.

But what was it then? @markmud is right, for the fire to catch up so fast there must have been some highly flammable substance there. Lots of plastic interior? Fuel?

 

[Wookie]

So if a boat would use this scheme, you would end up in a tunnel (the bulkhead) ?

I am trying to picture how it works ...

What’s the cross flooding issue you mentioned ?

No, I would open a watertight door into the next space aft (or forward). This would put you in the engineroom (aft) or in the next berthing compartment (forward), and not climbing up through a chimney to get out.

 

[Wookie]

On most boats you would end up in the engine room when you opened the door. And alarms would go off all over the boat. Not sure how you get out of the engine room, but if the other exit is impassible due to a fire it certainly would seem a better place to be.

Cross flooding seems to mean when water tight compartment flood sequentially or simultaneously due to water-tight doors being left open.

Cross flooding. Think Titanic...

 

[rjack321]

So if a boat would use this scheme, you would end up in a tunnel (the bulkhead) ?

I am trying to picture how it works ...

What’s the cross flooding issue you mentioned ?

"Cross flooding" is the risk of a hole on one watertight compartment getting water into an adjacent compartment via a door or opening.
If you put in a door between watertight bulkheads they are no longer watertight. You might not be able to close a door if the flooding is bad for instance (you're pushing against water pressure). Hence the hatches being the alternative and going up.

 

[rjack321]

So there is little chance anyone made it "to the beach" and are awaiting rescue, dang. Thanks, I feared as much when I saw the steep rocks.

No at this point it seems extremely unlikely anyone is sitting on the beach or "walking to town" only a hundred meters away from where the boat was anchored & burned.

 

[Wookie]

But what was it then? @markmud is right, for the fire to catch up so fast there must have been some highly flammable substance there. Lots of plastic interior? Fuel?

When I owned the Spree, it burned. It was so fast, it would make you gasp. I gasped for other reasons. She was aluminum. I was in the next compartment aft of the one that burned when I found it on fire. It flashed over when I figured out what was going on. I’m not going to speculate what burned, because that isn’t fair, let’s just say that there could have been a ton of fuel.

My fire started with a bad lamp ballast.

 

[Dale Pierce]

Locked hatch? No one made it out?
Hmmm.
As a veteran firefighter and commercial diver and the fact most of U.S. simply do not know about this grand jury, I'd have a very open mind about this. Something stinks. I'm sorry I offended so many of you, but you can not argue against facts. If you disagree please state specifically which exhibits of the 57 do you disagree with? LCfor911.org